Vpn

[Jerry56]

Is it necessary to install VPN on your private pc.?

[jdc2000]

It depends on what you are doing with the PC. I assume that it is not a laptop, and is used only on your home Internet connection.

https://www.pcmag.com/article/352757...you-need-a-vpn

https://lifehacker.com/5940565/why-y...for-your-needs

[Digerati]

Is it necessary to install VPN on your private pc.?

No. While the idea behind them is great, it is almost like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.

The thing to remember is there is a HUGE difference between "security" and "privacy". Your ISP, Microsoft or Google knowing someone from your IP address was searching for information about home loans does not impact your security. You may start seeing Quicken Loan or Lending Tree ads, but your passwords, bank account numbers, or birth date are not being stolen or sold to bad guys.

So if your concerns are about your sensitive personal information being stolen, or your computer systems being infected by malware, a VPN will not help you.

Frankly, I am MUCH more concerned with my cell phone carrier. Not only do they already know my real name, real street address, billing information, even my Social Security Number, they know who I have talked to and who I have texted. They know where, to within a couple yards, I am physically standing right now - even which aisle of the store I am standing in! They know where I have been, the direction I am heading and how fast I am traveling.

Now my ISP, of course, knows my name, address and billing information. But with my "Ethernet" connected computer, the best Microsoft, bad guys, and Google, for examples, know of my physical location is my "PoP" (point of presence) - the physical location where my ISP connects me to the Internet backbone. In my case, that is 10 miles away in the next town over.

For devices that connect to your network via wireless, sadly, location services can pinpoint your physical location quite accurately. So use Ethernet when possible.

I am not saying VPN services are pointless but they come with tradeoffs. All of them can collect data on you. Some may use that to send you tailored or targeted ads. The better ones are not free - though most cost around $60/year which is affordable for most. Some streaming services like Netflix blocks access if using a VPN. And because all of your traffic is being re-routed through the VPN's servers and networks, some increased latency issues are inevitable which may or may not be noticed.

If you are a tin-foil hat wearer, or you partake in illegal activity, you definitely need to be using a VPN. Most normal users need to weigh the pluses and minuses with their needs, then decide if they need, or just want to use one.

Regardless if you use a VPN service or not, you still MUST keep your operating system and your security apps current. And you must avoid being "click-happy" on unsolicited downloads, links, popups and attachments.

[Jerry56]

Thank you.